Today, Republican Workforce Leaders on the Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), reiterated their request for a public Committee hearing to examine the rampant corruption scandal within the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The request, contained in a letter sent to Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee Chairwoman Frederica Wilson (D-FL), comes amid new reports of embezzlement and fraud among the highest ranks of the UAW.
In the letter, Reps. Foxx and Walberg write: “In the time since our original letter was sent to you, the current and previous presidents of the UAW have been accused by federal prosecutors of conspiring to embezzle more than $1 million in union member dues, forcing the current president to take a leave of absence; a sixth former UAW official has pled guilty to charges of conspiracy and fraud; a 12th and 13th person have been charged in this brazen scandal; and Committee Democrats on a party-line vote passed H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019, a sweeping union boss wish-list that will increase the likelihood of similar instances of wrongdoing in the future.” The letter concludes:“Rather than continuing to ignore instances of union corruption, we urge you to follow in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy and your Democrat predecessors and hold a public hearing by December 12, 2019 to investigate formally the outrageous breach of workers’ trust by leaders of the UAW. We look forward to examining this important issue publicly on behalf of UAW members and the American people.”
Background: Following reports of UAW corruption, Reps. Foxx and Walberg sent a letter on September 19, 2019 to Chairman Scott and HELP Subcommittee Chairwoman Wilson requesting the Committee hold a public hearing to examine the scandal. After receiving no reply for nearly two months, Reps. Foxx and Walberg sent a follow-up letter to renew their request for a public hearing, arguing the Committee has a vital responsibility to investigate the outrageous breach of workers’ trust by union leaders of the UAW who violated a law under the Committee’s jurisdiction. Rather than holding a needed hearing on the burgeoning UAW corruption scandal, the Committee majority has spent valuable time adopting ill-advised and radical schemes such as H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019, legislation that increases the coercive power of union bosses over workers and employers alike.
To read the full letter sent to Chairman Scott and Rep. Wilson, click here.
